Chapter Eighteen:
As the demon's vaporous body began to congeal, Kurt stared at it with wide horrified eyes. He took a few long breaths in an attempt to slow his racing heart, which pounded deafeningly in his ears.
He never imagined he would ever see a real demon, but looking at one come into its true form made the terror behind the word more understandable. Even though its dark skin did have the faintest hint of blue, Kurt suddenly felt no kinship to this abomination.
A new fury rose in his heart, one he had not allowed to surface for many years. Anger towards those people who would accuse him the same label given to such an evil being. But, until this night, those people were no different than he had been, completely oblivious to what a demon...a real demon...truly was.
A dark frown formed on Kurt's face, and his long fingers curled tightly around the top of the pew.
This thing tried to kill Storm...and was now trying to kill his friends...
He would not allow that to happen...
Through his growing fury, Kurt did not notice how closely Faith was watching him. She wore a strange, small smile, as if she recognized something familiar on Kurt's face. She reached out and put a hand on the blue mutant's shoulder. Her grin broadened confidently as his eyes met her own.
"You're pissed...," she said with a touch of amusement, but then her gaze became hard, "Use that...but don't abuse it...ya'mean, Blue?"
Faith released him and turned to stare at the demon again.
"Don't let it become the only thing you can feel..." she finished softly, her voice trailing off and becoming inaudible under the noise of the battle.
Kurt stared at her a moment longer in surprise, and then glanced back toward the altar where he had hidden the unconscious Storm.
His moment of reflection was interrupted as the walls of the church began to shake. Above the rumbling, a voice could be heard, and though the words were not discernable, they made Kurt shiver in disgust.
"About time..." he heard Faith complain, though there was gleeful anticipation on her face, "Let's go, Blue...I think the big man needs a hand..."
Kurt followed Faith as she darted from their hiding place, pausing only once as a red beam of light shot toward the dark creature.
Cyclops turned up the power level on his visor as high as he dared in such a confined space before taking aim and opening the lens. Power poured from his eyes and he watched through a haze of red light as the nearly formed demon was struck full on by his attack.
The demon roared in fury, and half of the groping limbs attacking Colossus were torn away in the blast. Cyclops saw his teammate begin to grapple with the remaining demonic arms, and then noticed Kurt and Faith running toward him.
The creature was howling in pain, but Cyclops could see that its was reforming the damage areas of its body with unnatural speed. He raised his hand to his temple, ready to fire another blast, but Faith grabbed his arm before he was able to open the visor again.
"That's only gonna make that thing wanna eat you more, man," she said, and flashed her blade up before his eyes, "This...is the only sure way to kill it..."
Another rumble shook the church and Cyclops glanced back toward Mary.
"How much longer does she have to do this?" he asked Faith, as they watched the demon sprout several new, very dangerous looking limbs.
"As long as it takes..." she replied quickly and ran head on toward the creature.
Cyclops called out to her to wait, but knew it was pointless. He turned to Kurt quickly.
"Take the right flank..." he ordered, "I'll try to help Colossus on the left...since the Slayer seems to have the middle ground covered..."
Without another word, the X-Men moved into a practiced attack formation. Kurt did not bother to run, but teleported around to the demon's back. The creature's fierce eyes tried to track all of its enemies at once, and Kurt felt very pleased in his own abilities when it was obvious his erratic movements infuriated the demon.
Colossus remained its primary target, but Cyclops called out to his teammate to brace himself as he opening fire on the demon's gripping limbs. The red beams of light exploded against Colossus's massive chest, destroying the attackers hold, but leaving the X-Man's impervious body unharmed...though the shirt of his uniform was another story...
Cyclops took pride in the fact that through the entire ordeal, Peter had remained calm and visibly unafraid. Kurt...no, Nightcrawler in battle...was distracting the creature with his dizzying acrobatics. And, Faith...
He may have had his team in line and formation...but the Slayer was accustomed to fighting alone...and she collided with the demon at a full run.
Faith let out a furious battle cry as she lunged at the creature. Her direct attack was quick, but not entirely unexpected. The demon shifted all of its focus on the Slayer, and wrapped its cold limbs around her body as she swung the blade toward it.
Faith slashed downward and was able to sever a few of the semi-solid arms. She broke free of the demon's grasp and lunged at it again, without care for her own wounds or her own safety. She did not hear the X-Men rallying around the creature, trying to assist her. She only heard the demon's cold, growling laughter.
"Die, you son of a bitch!" she screamed, but the demon seemed encouraged by her anger and this time it wrapped its limbs around her throat.
Faith tried to slash down again and free herself, but more arms gripped her wrist and tore the blade from her grasp. She did not have the impervious skin of Colossus, and the demon tightened its hold around the Slayer's much more pliable skin.
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Mary was lost in the sea of words...
They were making her feel sick...as if she were vomiting instead of speaking...
The only clear thought she had beyond the chanting was that she was sorry...
So sorry...for helping make that creature more solid...
She was so sorry...so sorry so sorry sosorrysosorrysosorry...
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But the chants would not stop...even as the sharp taste of blood touched her tongue...
Iceman watched the others begin a flanking attack and wanted desperately to help them. He wanted to do what he had been training to do. But as he glanced back at Mary, he knew he could not leave her alone in this state. The shadows in which she was sitting seemed to grow darker, and he could hear the church walls around them straining from the constant tremors.
Iceman saw the Slayer standing before the demon, and he saw her being surrounded by the dark tendrils. He saw Cyclops taking aim and firing again, but the demon now easily adapted to the energy attack. Colossus was attempting to take hold of some of the demon's flailing limbs, but unfortunately the number of limbs protruding from the creature outnumbered the silver mutant's two strong arms.
Before he could locate Nightcrawler, Iceman felt another tremor roll under his feet and he turned to look at Mary again. His eyes grew wide with horror as he noticed a trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth.
"Jesus..." he breathed and moved toward her. The ceremony may not be complete, and that thing may not be fully formed, but whatever she was reading was beginning to hurt Mary physically.
Iceman reached out toward the book in Mary's lap, but felt a burning cold run up his arms as he touched the pages. Mary's eyes were staring forward blankly, and Iceman watched as the shadows behind her began to curl around her arms, as if to draw her away from the others.
Iceman grabbed onto the book again, trying to ignore the bitter shock of the cold. He had never felt pain from ice before, even in the rawest of winter weather, but this cold was different. And he felt it try to pull him in along with Mary...
He stared into the darkness beyond, and Bobby Drake suddenly heard many voices, screeching with insane laughter. Those new shadows were not empty and he was suddenly sure he saw eyes...and faces...and rows of sharp shining teeth...
"Oooo....kay...," he muttered, his eyes wide with terror, "That's enough evil chanting for one night..."
He focused and let his power flow from his fingertips onto the printed pages.
Frost spread over the book and up Mary's arms. There was a shriek of outrage and pain, but it did not come from the entranced young woman...but from those dark shadows behind her.
As the thin layers of ice reach Mary's face, her voice began to break and her lower jaw shivered. She blinked, and Iceman felt a measure of relief as her blank eyes became more aware of her surroundings. The small line of blood on her lower lip froze to her skin.
She inhaled once and her hands opened and allowed the book and all its incantations to fall away from her.
Iceman shifted himself away from Mary, taking the frost with him as he moved. Mary's lips were blue and she closed her eyes a moment before she fell forward. Iceman reached over again to help her but Mary was able to support herself with her own arms.
When she glanced up at him, she had a relieved smile on her face.
"Thanks..." she said, her voice quivering, and then glanced at the melting book, "Ice is...really...cold..."
Iceman nodded, not entirely without amusement, "Yeah, I've heard that..."
Mary drew her arms around her and shivered again. Even as the ice created by Bobby melted away, a menacing cold lingered in the air. She stood up slowly, and stared in terror at the demon, now quite solid thanks to her. Iceman gave her one last reassuring nod and ran out to join the other X-Men.
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Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update. I'm trying to kick start my muses again. :-)